Archive for August 2006

The other day I was in the store and a customer chatted me up about The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. “Memory” is fresh in paperback and while perusing the Book Sense bestseller list I noticed that this customer is not the only one fascinated by what looks like a stunning family drama.

In fact, not only is the book numero uno in the Book Sense tallies, the kudos are being doled out judiciously:

• “Unfolds from an absolutely gripping premise, drawing you deeply and irrevocably into the entangled lives of two families and the devastating secret that shaped them both. I loved this riveting story.” –Sue Monk Kidd

• “Kim Edwards has created a tale of regret and redemption, of honest emotion, of characters haunted by their past. This is simply a beautiful book.” –Jodi Picoult

• “Edwards is a born novelist. … Rich with psychological detail and the nuances of human connection.” -Chicago Tribune

Some are saying The Memory Keeper’s Daughter evokes Alice Sebold’s Lovely Bones, a runaway bestseller. The story articulates every mother’s silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? In 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins, he immediately recognizes that one of them has Down Syndrome and makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and to keep her birth a secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own.

Sounds like one of those reads you can’t put down. Just might go well with a long weekend.

I have been remiss, forgiving readers, to post a bookish quote in some time and, well, you won’t let me forget it. This is a good thing. If you’re ever going to write, write to an audience that’s smarter than you are. In my case, this is not much of a challenge.

For moms everywhere:

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be —
I had a mother who read to me.

Consider this your one-week warning. In seven days — at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 5, to be exact — the River City Books fiction book club will meet to discuss The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

“Snow Flower” has received rave reviews. The story’s set in nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, and it’s about a young girl named Lily, who is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, nnow flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

If you haven’t read this mesmerizing book yet, there’s still time. Time to get cracking!

Don’t forget: Book club members receive discounts on selected books.

For more information about the RCB fiction book club, contact Sue at 507-646-7754 or sdemalig@acs.carleton.edu

The other day I was in everybody’s favorite neighborhood bookstore and a customer grabbed hold of “Popular Mechanics” and noted that there was a story in there about Northfield. Of all the mags, “Popular Mechanics.” Who woulda thunk it?

Anyway, got me thinking that I should remind the flock that River City Books carries a goodly number of periodicals — a nice variety of magazines and newspapers — to supplement your book reading. Included are popular newsweeklies that serve scoops about current events around the world, entertainment magazines that keep you abreast on the latest about Tom Cruise’s beliefs and Britney’s kids, freebies (such as the Northfield Entertainment Guide), and newspapers, including the New York Times (they even have the Sunday edition).

Now, I can’t promise you’ll always find Northfield-related news in each of the offerings. But you never know when you might pick up a national magazine and see the old hometown.

By the way, the edition of “Popular Mechanics” with the Northfield note sold out in about a day.

Man, that was quite an outage on Friday. I wasn’t able to post anything. Then again, you probably weren’t able to read anything anyway.

I sincerely hope you and yours survived Thursday’s hail storm with minimal damage. I have never seen anything like that in all my years in the sky. It was like Johan Santana was up there pitching a warehouse full.

Thanks to Northfield.org for the related updates and photos. Hopefully, everything’s heading in the direction of normal again. Aside from those who are still dealing with insurance agents.

Since this is supposed to be a books blog … as follow up to an earlier post, I have been handed an advanced reader’s copy of Mike Perry’s new book. Yes, I think this makes me cool. A tasty read so far. I’ll let you know how it shakes out.